Apparatus for assembling electrical devices



April 9, 1968 N. J. MANDONAS ET AL 3,377,011

APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING ELECTRICAL DEVICES Filed Sept. 27, 1965 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 JNVE'N'TUE'S N. J I77FYNDUNHS' LU. T! NULL/ELL,

J7 U NE N. .1. MANDONAS ET AL 3,377,011

APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING ELECTRICAL DEVICES A ril 9, 1968 7 Sheets-Sheet 2:

Filed Sept. 27, 1965 April 9, 1968 N. J. MANDONAS ET AL 3,377,011

' APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING ELECTRICAL DEVICES Filed Sept. 27. 1965 7 Sheets-Sheet (5 April 1968 N. J. MANDONAS E L 3,377,011

APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING ELECTRICAL DEVICES Filed Sept. 27, 1965' 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 I 62 ?U i i l 1 l :1 I: l Z

62 i i 57 i I April 9, 1968 N. J. MANDONAS ET AL 3,377,011

APPARATUS FOR ASSEMBLING ELECTRICAL DEVICES '7 Sheets-Sheet 1' Filed Sept. 27, 1965 III-III I'l 1 J n a a 6 w 1/ 2, 11 ,M. m T i 75 P E 2 i A y I lli UH J I IEL n v a w w r): h a d j Z a J United States Patent Ofilice ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An apparatus for assembling the parts of coaxial connectors wherein a terminal cap is attached to one end of a cylindrical body, an insulating disc is inserted and secured within the body adjacent the same end, an insulating disc is mounted on a center contact and the latter subassembly is inserted within and secured to the cylindrical body. A carrier receives the cylindrical bodies and ad vances them intermittently to a series of assembly and checking stations to assemble the parts.

This invention relates to an apparatus for assembling electrical devices, and more particularly to an apparatus for assembling the parts of coaxial cable connectors.

This application is copending with N. I. Mandonas application Ser. No. 490,618, W. T. Nowell application Ser. No. 490,558, and N. J. Mandonas-E. T. Stocker application Ser. No. 490,619, all filed on Sept. 27, 1967 and assigned to the same assignee as this application.

In the manufacture of coaxial cable connectors before this invention, the various parts comprising the connectors were assembled together and tested manually. Since these parts must be accurately positioned with respect to one another, the manual assembly of such connectors is tedious and time consuming. Consequently, there is a need for automatic facilities for assembling the parts of coaxial cable connectors accurately and quickly.

Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide a new and improved apparatus for assembling the parts of electrical devices. A related object is to provide an apparatus for assembling the .parts of coaxial cable connectors.

Another object is to provide an apparatus for automatically assembling the parts of coaxial cable connectors accurately and quickly.

With these and other objects in view, the invention contemplates an apparatus for feeding a terminal cap to the top of a hollow cylindrical body, inserting a first insulating disc within the body beneath the cap, staking the disc in place, and soldering the cap to the body. While the aforementioned parts are being assembled, a second in sulating disc is concentrically mountedat a predetermined longitudinal posit-ion on a center contact. Thereafter, the disc-contact subassem bl y is inserted into the body in a predetermined orientation, and staked therein.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent by reference to the following detailed specification and accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an apparatus, incorporating certain features of the invention, for assembling electrical devices such as coaxial cable connectors;

FIG. 2 is a view of a coaxial cable connector which may be assembled by the apparatus of this invention;

FIGS. 3A3E depict the sequence of steps performed by the apparatus of this invention in assembling the connector shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a fixture for holding the body of a connector as it is advanced to the various stations of the apparatus of the invention;

.body of a connector to the 3,377,011 Patented Apr. 9, 1968 an apparatus for feeding the fixture shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 5 and shows the body supported in the work position of the apparatus;

FIG. 8 is a view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is a side view of an apparatus for checking Lvhgther an upper insulating disc is present within the FIG. 10 is a partial view of the apparatus of FIG. 9 showing the apparatus in its operated position;

FIG. 11 is a view taken along line 11-11 of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a side view of an apparatus for ejecting a faulty subassembly from the fixture;

FIG. 13 is a partial front view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 12 inv an operated condition;

FIG. 14 is a side view of an apparatus for checking whether a disc-contact subassembly is adequately secured within the body;

FIG. 15 is a partial front view showing only a portion of the apparatus shown in FIG. 14 in its operative condition;

FIG. 16 is a side-view of an apparatus for checking whether contact 4-1 is vertically correctly located within the body; and

FIG. 17 is a partial front view showing only a portion of the apparatus shown in FIG. 16 in its operative condition.

As shown in FIG. 2, a coaxial cable connector 30, which may be automatically assembled by the apparatus of the invention, comprises a hollow cylindrical body 31 having a pair of oppositely disposed windows 32 formed through the walls of the body. As best seen in FIG. 3C, a !hollow terminal cap 36 has a rim 37 which sea-ts on a ledge 38 formed in the inner periphery of the top of body 31. A ring 39 of solder is formed around cap 36 to secure it to body 31.

A center contact .41 is mounted in an upper insulating disc 42 and a lower insulating disc 43, the discs being crimped within body 31 to maintain them and contact 41 in a predetermined vertical position. Center contact 41 has a slot 44 formed therein which is oriented to face out of one of the windows 32. Slot 44 is oriented in this manner to facilitate the soldering of an electrical lead (not shown) thereto.

As shown in FIG. 4, a fixture 51 includes an opening 52 thereinfor receiving body 31. An arm 53 is pivotably mounted about a pin 54 and has a notch 56 formed therein for engaging body 31. Arm 56 is urged by a spring 57 to normally engage and hold body 31 in fixture 51. To insert a body 31 into or to release one from fixture 51, extension 59 of arm 53 is pushed in the direction of arrow 58 to pivot arm 53 to an open position. Fixture 51 includes a bracket 61 for mounting the fixture on a carrier.

FIG. 5 is a side view of General description and operation With reference to FIG. 1, tion includes a conventional 66 having a carrier '67 such as a conveyor, chain, or the like, on which is mounted a plurality of fixtures 51. The movement of carrier 67 is controlled by a control device 68 for indexing fixtures 51 to a plurality of stations I-XIII, and for controlling the sequence of operations performed at the various stations. Control device 68 may include a motor 69 having a plurality of cams mounted on its'shaft, such devices being well known to those skilled in the art.-

At the start of a cycle of operation, fixture 51 is inopen position to permit a body 31 to be inserted into openthe apparatus of this invenmulti-station indexing chassis ing 52 of fixture 51 (FIG. 4). Thereafter, spring 57 urges arm 53 to hold body 31 in fixture 51.

Fixture 51 is then indexed to station II, whereat a terminal cap 36 is advanced to a position just above body 31 (FIG. 3A). Subsequently, cap 36 is pressed into the top of body 31. Station 11 is the subject matter of copending application Ser. No. 490,618, in the name of N. J. Mandonas and is not shown and described (other than in FIG. 1) in this application.

' Fixture 51 is then indexed to station III, whereat upper disc 42 is moved upward into body 31 until it abuts the rim of cap 36 (FIGS. 3A and 3B). Thereafter, body 31 is staked at points 71 (FIG. 3B) to fix the bottom position of upper disc 41 in body 31. The top of body 31 is rolled over to secure the top of upper disc 42 and cap 36 in body 31 (FIG. 3C). Station III is the subject matter of copending application Ser. No. 490,558, in the name of W. T. Nowell and is not shown and described (other than in FIG. 1) in this application.

Fixture 51 is then indexed to station IV, whereat a check is performed to determine whether upper disc 42 is present within body 31. If upper disc 42 is not present, a switch (not shown) is actuated which completes a circuit to program the next station, station V, to eject the faulty subassembly from fixture 51 when it is indexed thereto. If upper disc 42 is present, the switch is not actuated and station V remains inoperative when fixture 51 is indexed thereto.

Fixture 51 is then indexed to station VI, whereat ring 39 (FIG. 30) of solder is formed on top of rim 37. If fixture 51 arrives at station VI without a body 31 held therein, this condition is detected, for example by a conventional limit switch, and the station is rendered inoperative. The apparatus comprising station VI is substantally similar to the apparatus disclosed in application Ser. No. 299,767, in the names of W. T. Nowell and E. E. Simpson, filed Aug. 5, 1963, and asisgned to the same assignee as this application.

Fixture 51 is then indexed to station VII, whereat ring 39 of solder is melted by a conventional heater, such as a gas heater, induction heater, or the like.

Simultaneously with the indexing of fixture 51 to the various stations, substations VIII-A and VIII-B of station VIII are performing separate operations.

At substation VIII-A, lower disc 43 is located at a predetermined position on center contact 41 (FIG. 3D) to form adisc-contact subassembly 73. Disc-contact subassembly 73 is then fed to substation VIII-B, whereat it is oriented such that slot 44 of contact 41 will face out of one of the windows 32 of body 31 when subassembly 73 is inserted into body 31 (FIGS. 2 and 3B).

When a fixture 51, having a body 31 with an upper disc 42 staked therein, is indexed to substation VIII-C of station VIII, disc-contact subassembly 73 is moved from substation VIII-B into body 31 until it assumes the position shown in FIG. 2. Body 31 is then staked at points 74 (FIG. 2) to secure disc-contact subassembly 73 therein. Substations VIII-A, VIII-B, and VIII-C are the subject matter of copending application Ser. No. 490,619, in the names of N. J. Mandonas and E. T. Stocker, and are not shown and described (other than as in FIG. 1) in this application.

Fixture 51 is then advanced to station IX whereat the assembled connector 30, contained in fixture 51, is checked to ascertain whether disc-contact subassembly 73 is adequately secured within body 31. If subassembly 73 is not adequately secured, a switch is actuated which completes a circuit (not shown) to program the next station, station X, to eject the faulty connector 30.

Fixure 51 is then advanced to station XI whereat the connector 30, contained in fixture 51, is checked to ascertain whether center contact 41 is concentric within.

body 31 and whether the tip of contact 41 is at the proper height with respect to the bottom of body 31 (FIG. 2).

If connector 30 fails this check, a switch is actuated which completes a circuit (not shown) to program the next station, station XII, to eject the faulty connector. At station XIII, connectors 30 are ejected into a bin.

Station I: Feed body to fixture Referring to FIG. 5, there is shown an apparatus for feeding a body 31' to a fixture 51. The apparatus includes a frame 101 on which is mounted a track 102 along which bodies 31 are fed by gravity to the work position of station I. Bodies 31 may be fed from a conventional vibratory feeder device (not shown) to track 102. Track 102 comprises a pair of spaced, parallel rods 103 which support bodies 31 at their windows 32 (FIG. 6). A locating stud 104 is mounted on frame 101 and determines the location of the first body 31' of a row of bodies 31 in the work position.

A pair of spring-biased fingers 106 are mounted in frame 101 for pivotable movement about pins 107 (FIGS. 5 and 7), and have short rods 108 (FIG. 8) mounted on the ends thereof. Rods 108 have substantially the sanie diameter as rods 103 and support body 31' in the work position when fingers 106 are urged toward each other by springs 109.

A forming tool 111 is mounted on a lever arm 112 which is horizontally mounted for pivotable movement about a pin 113. A linkage 114 interconnects lever arm 112 with a cam follower 121 which is urged to follow the contour of a cam 122 by spring 123.

A push rod 124 is mounted on a linkage 126 for reciprocal movement in a vertical plane within frame 101. Linkage 126 is connected to a cam follower 127 which is in contact with a cam 128 by a spring 129.

A solenoid 131 is mounted on frame 101 and has a spring-biased armature 132 which is aligned with extension 59 of arm 53 when fixture 51 is in the work position. Solenoid 131 is energized by a source of power 133 through a switch 134 which is actuatable by a cam 136.

Operation of station I When fixture 51 is advanced to the work position by carrier 67, body 31 is supported by rods 108 below opening 52 (FIG. 4) in fixture 51. Cam 136 is rotated to close switch 134, thereby completing the circuit to power source 133 to solenoid 131. Upon energization of solenoid 131, armature 132 is moved to push extension 59,

thereby pivoting arm 53 to its open position.

Cam 128 is rotated to raise linkage 126, thereby moving push rod 124 upward to push body 31' upwardly through opening 52 to the predetermined position shown in dotted lines in FIG. 5. Fingers 106 are pivoted open 'by rods 108 following the curvature of windows 32 (FIG. 6) of body 31'. Thereafter, cam 136 is rotated to open switch 134. This action causes armature 132 to return to its original position, and arm 53 to close against body 31'.

During the upward movement of body 31' by push rod 124, cam 122 is rotated to pivot lever arm 112 about pin 113, thereby moving forming tool 111 to the posi ion shown in FIG. 5. When body 31' is moved upwardly to its predetermined position, forming tool 111 enters the top of body 31' to straighten the edges thereof, in the event that the edges are bent or otherwise distorted. Thereafter, cams 122 and 128 are rotated to restore lever arm 112 and push rod 124, respectively, to their initial position.

Station IV: Check presence of upper disc Referring to FIG. 9, there is shown an apparatus for checking the presence of upper disc 42 in body 31 (FIG. 2). A housing 151is slidably mounted in a vertical plane on a slide mechanism 152 of a frame 153. Housing 151 is ':movable by a push rod 154 having a cam follower 156 mounted on its lower end, follower 156 being urged tofollo w the contour of a cam 157 by a spring 158.

"A rod 159, mounted on housing 151, has a hemispherical shaped top 161. Mounted parallel to rod 159 on housing 151, is a checking rod 162 which is biased upwardly by a spring 163.

A slide 164 is transversely secured to frame 153 and has an opening 166 therein aligned with rod 159. A plate 167 is slidably movable by a spring 168 on slide 164, and has a pair of spaced, parallel fingers 169 (FIG. 11) formed on the end thereof. There is suflicient space between fingers 169 to permit the top of cap 36 to fit between them, but there is insufficient space to permit body 31' to pass therebetween. An opening 171 is formed in plate 167 and has a cam surface 172 which is slightly misaligned with the top of rod 159.

A switch 181 is mounted on a bracket 182 secured to frame 153, and has a switch button 133 vertically aligned with check rod 162. Switch 181 is included in a circuit with a source of power 186 and a solenoid 187 having an armature 188.

Operation 0] station IV Prior to fixture 51 being advanced to the work position of station IV, a terminal cap 36 was secured to the top of body 31 at station II, and an upper disc 42 was in serted into and staked within body 31 just below cap 36 (FIG. 313) at station III.

When fixture 51 arrives at the work position of station IV, cam 157 is rotated to move housing 151 upwardly. During the upward movement of housing 151, the hemispherical top of bar 159 passes through opening 166 in slide 164, and engages cam surface 172 of opening 171 in plate 167, thereby sliding plate 167 to the left (FIG. 9) against the force of spring 168. Plate 167 is moved to the left until terminal cap 36 is located between fingers 169 (FIGS. 10 and 11).

During the upward movement of housing 151, check rod 162 is raised upward into body 31'. If upper disc 42 is present in body 31', check rod 162 is depressed against the force of spring 163 as housing 151 continues its upward movemei t. Upon a complete rotation of cam 157, housing 151 is returned to its initial position shown in FIG. 9. Plate 167 is then returned to its initial position by spring 168, thereby permitting fixture 51 to be ad vanced to the next station.

If upper disc 42 is not present in body 31, check rod 162 is raised upward through body 31' and terminal cap 36 to depress switch button 183. Upon depression of switch button 183, a circuit is completed to energize solenoid 187, thereby programming the next station, station V, to eject the faulty subassembly when fixture 51 is indexed thereto.

Station V: Eject station Referring to FIG. 12, there is shown an apparatus for ejecting a faulty subassembly from a fixture 51 which has been advanced from station IV to the work position of station V. At this point, a faulty subassembly is one in which there is no upper disc 42 present within body 31', this condition having been detected at station IV.

The apparatus comprises a frame 201 on which is mounted a housing 202. A chute 203 is secured to housing 202 and is located directly beneath a body 31' when fixture 51 is advanced to the work position. A bin 204 is located at the bottom of chute 203.

A rod 206 projects through an opening in frame 201 and has a cam follower 207 mounted on its lower end. Rod 206 is urged to contact a cam 208 by a spring 209. Rod 206 has a laterally extending pin 211 mounted thereon, which is relatively movable within a horizontal groove 214 formed in a plate 213. Plate 213 has formed therein a vertical slot 212 which terminates in a horizontal groove 217.

Plate 213 is in contact with a U-shaped bracket 215 which is journalled about a pin 216, bracket 215 being connected to armature 188 of solenoid 187 (FIGS. 9 and 12). A pair of spring-biased plungers 219 normally urge 6 plate 213 to the right against bracket 215, as shown in FIG. 12.

Referring to FIGS. 12 and 13, a horizontal bar 226 extends from a rod 227 and projects through slot 212 of plate 213. Rod 227 passes through the Openings in a pair of guide members 228 and 229 extending from housing 202 and is biased upwardly by a spring 231 (FIG. 13). Mounted on top of rod 227 is a horizontally extending arm 232 from which depends a vertical guide rod 233 which passes through an opening 234 formed in a lateral extension 235 secured to housing 202. Also depending from arm 232 is a bar 236 having a cam surface 237 (FIG. 12) formed on its lower end. Cam surface 237 is vertically aligned with extension 59 of arm 53 of fixture 51 (FIG. 12); Also depending from arm 232 is a plunger 241 having an opening 242 therein which fits over cap 36 but does not fit over body 31'.

Operation of station V In the operation of station IV, assume that switch 181 of station IV has been operated by check rod 162 (FIG. 10), thereby indicating that upper disc 42 (FIG. 2) is not present within body 31'. This faulty subassembly is then indexed to the work position of station V such that body 31' is located directly above chute 203.

The operation of switch 181 completes a circuit (FIG. 9) which energizes solenoid 187. Upon energization of solenoid 187, its armature 188 is moved to the left such that bracket 215 moves plate 213 to the left, thereby moving groove 124 over pin 211 and groove 217 over bar 226. This action temporarily locks rod 206 to rod 227, since bar 226 interconnects plate 213 with rod 227 and pin 211 interconnects plate 213 with rod 206.

As cam follower 207 follows the contour of cam 208, rod 206 is urged downward by spring 209. This action pulls plate 213 and rod 227 downwardly against the force of spring 231. The downward movement of rod 227 pulls arm 232 downwardly, and along with it guide rod 233, bar 236, and plunger 241.

When bar 236 moves downwardly, cam surface 237 engages extension 59 to pivot arm 53 about pin 54 (FIG. 4). When plunger 241 moves downwardly, opening 242 fits over cap 36 (FIG. 13). Continued downward movement of plunger 241 pushes body 31 through opening 52 in fixture 51 (see dotted outline of body 31' in FIG. 12) onto chute 203 and into bin 204. Guiderod 233 moves within extension 235 to guide plunger 241 and bar 236.

After a complete cycle of rod 209, solenoid 187 is deenergized and plungers 219 urge bracket 213 and armature 188 to their initial position.

If it had been determined at station IV, that there was an upper disc 42 in body 31', switch 181 would not have been actuated. Therefore, solenoid 187 would not have been energized, and plate 213 would have remained in the position shown in FIG. 12. 'Under these conditions, when rod 206 is drawn downward, pin 226 remains stationary within slot 212, while pin 211 and plate 213 move downward. In this manner, rod 206, pin 211, and plate 213 move upward and downward for each revolution of cam 208, but pin 226 and rod 227 only move when solenoid 187 is energized.

Station IX: Check disc-contact subassembly in body an upper transverse section 258 mounted on a vertical member 259, rod 251 projecting into a cavity 260 formed in upper section 258. Vertical member 259 is secured to a 7 push rod 261 having a cam follower 262 mounted on its lower end. Cam follower 262 is urged into contact with a cam 264 by a spring 266.

A weight 271 is mounted on a rod 272 to rest on top of lower section 257. Rod 272 extends from the top of Weight 271 and projects into an opening 277 in upper extensions 258. Rod 272 has a pin 273 mounted on its lower end, pin 273 being aligned with the top of center contact 41 of a connector 30.

A block 286 has a switch 287 mounted therein which has a switch button 288 projecting through the top of block 286. Block 286 is hinged about a pin 289 secured to a bracket 291 which is mounted on frame 254. Block 286 has a cam surface 292 which is located opposite a cam follower 293 mounted on push rod 261.

Operation of station IX When a fixture 51, having a completely assembled connector 30 held therein, has been indexed to the work position of station IX from sub-station VIII-C, the top of contact 41 is aligned with pin 273.

As soon as fixture 51 has been indexed to the work position, cam 264 rotates such that push rod 261 is urged downwardly b spring 266, thereby moving housing 256 downwardly. As push rod 261 is moved downwardly cam follower 293 pivots housing 286 until it assumes a horizontal attitude (FIG. 15). Thus, pin 273 is moved into engagement with contact 41 at substantially the same time that switch button 288 enters body 31', button 288 being aligned with the bottom of contact 41 but not touching it.

Housing 256 continues to move downward until its lower section 257 abuts bracket 25 3. Prior to this, however, weight 271 is raised slightly from lower section 257 of housing. Thus, the total magnitude of weight 271 bears on contact 41. Weight 271 is of such a magnitude that contact 41 will slip within discs 42 and 43 (see FIG. 2) if disc-contact assembly 73 is not adequately secured within body 31'.

If contact 41 is not adequately secured, weight 271 forces it downwardly until the bottom of contact 41 depresses switch button 288. The depression of switch button 288 completes a circuit to energize a solenoid (not shown but identical to solenoid 187 of station V), thereby programming the next station, station X, to eject the faulty connector 30 when fixture 51 is advanced thereto. Station X is identical to station V previously described.

Station X I Check contact location Referring to FIG. 16, there is shown an apparatus for checking whether contact 41 is correctly located in a vertical position within body 31' of connector 30.

The apparatus includes a frame 321 on which is mounted a housing 322. A push rod 323 extends through housing 322 and has a cam follower 324 secured to its lower end, which is urged to follow the contour of earn 326 by a spring 327. Another push rod 331 extends through housing 322 and has a cam follower 3 32 mounted on its lower end, which is urged to follow the contour of a cam 333 by a spring 334.

A spring-biased probe .341 is mounted in a head 342 which is secured to the top of push rod 323. Probe 341 is connected to one end of a power source 343 having its other end connected to a relay 344, which is connected to ground potential. Relay 344 controls the operation of a solenoid (not shown but identical to solenoid 187 of station V) at the next station, station XII, which is identical to eject station V.

Another spring-biased probe 346 is mounted in the top of push rod 331 and is connected to relay 344 through ground potential. Probes 341 and 346 are vertically aligned with center cont-act 41 of connector 30 when it is advanced to the work position of station X1.

Operation of stu ion XI In the operation of station XI, assume that connector 30 was not ejected at station X, and was advanced to the work position of station XI.

When fixture 51 is advanced to the work position of station XI, cams 333 and 336 rotate such that push rod 331 is moved upwardly at the same time that push rod 323 is moved downwardly. Rod 331 is moved upwardly and rod 323 is moved downwardly until probes 346 and 341 make physical connection with the bottom and top, respectively, of center contact 41 (FIG. 17). Further movement of rod 331 and 323 cause the springs which bias probes 346 and 341 to be compressed. The circuit is then completed through power source 343 to energize relay 344, thereby programming eject station XII to be inoperative when fixture 51 is advanced thereto.

If center contact 41 is too high, non-concentric or missing from body 31', probe 346 does not engage center contact 41. Accordingly, the circuit which energizes relay 34-4 is not completed. Under these circumstances, ejection station XII is programmed to eject the faulty connector 30 when it is advanced thereto.

Station XIII: Final eject At station XIII, all connectors 30 which hase successfully passed all of the checks at stations IV, IX, and XI, are ejected into a bin for collecting acceptable connectors 30.

Station XIII is identical to station V except that rods 206 and 227 are permanently locked together by plate 213; that is, solenoid 187 is always energized to move plate 213 to the left. Thus, all connectors 30 advanced to the work position of station XIII are ejected into a bin 204 (FIG. 12).

It is to be understood that the above-described embodiment is only illustrative of the principles of the invention, and other embodiments may be devised without departing from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for assembling the parts of electrical connectors, wherein each connector comprises a body member having a terminal cap secured thereto and a center contact mounted by insulating discs secured within the member, comprising:

a carrier having a plurality of member holding fixtures mounted thereon, each fixture having facilities for holding a member,

means for feeding a member to a fixture to be held thereby,

means for feeding a terminal cap and securing it to the body held in the fixture,

means for inserting a first insulating disc adjacent the cap within the member and securing it therein,

means for locating a second insulating disc at a predetermined position on a center contact,

means for inserting and securing the assembled disccontact within a member, and

means for intermittently advancing the carrier to move the fixtures sequentially to the various means, the means for locating the second disc and the means for inserting and securing the assembled disc-contact being at the same location.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for soldering a terminal cap to a member.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the soldering means comprises:

means for forming a ring of solder about a terminal cap at the junction of a cap and a member, and

means for melting the solder.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein, the

means for feeding a member to a fixture comprises:

means for feeding a member and supporting it in a position below and aligned with the holding facilities of the fixture, and

means for advancing the member into the holding facilities of the fixture.

5. An apparatus for assembling coaxial cable connectors, wherein each connector comprises a hollow cylindrical body having a terminal cap secured to the top thereof and a center contact mounted by upper and lower insulating discs within the body, comprising:

a carrier having a plurality of body holding fixtures mounted thereon, each fixture having an opening therein for receiving a body,

a first station rendered effective upon the arrival of a fixture thereat for feeding a body to the fixture and inserting it into the opening therein,

a second station rendered effective upon a fixture being advanced thereto for feeding a cap and securing it to the top of a body.

a third station rendered eifective upon a fixture being advanced thereto for inserting an upper insulating disc below the cap within a body and securing it therein,

a fourth work station, having means for assembling a lower insulating disc at a predetermined position on a center contact, and rendered effective upon a fixture being advanced thereto for inserting the assembled disc-contact into a body and for securing the assembled disc-contact therein, and

means for intermittently advancing the carrier to move the fixtures sequentially to the work stations.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, fuither comprising means for soldering a cap to a body.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a check station for determining whether an upper it) insulating disc has been inserted into a body at the third work station.

8. The apparatus according to claim '7, further comprising a check station for determining whether the assembled disc-contact has been adequately secured within a body at the fourth work station.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a check station for determining the accuracy of the location of an assembled disc-contact within a body.

10. The apparatus according to claim $3 further comprising a final station for collecting fully assembled coaxial cable connectors which have passed the determinations made at the various check station.

11. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first station comprises:

a pair of spring-biased fingers for supporting a body in a vertical position below and aligned with the opening in a fixture,

a push rod for pushing a body upward to release it from the fingers and to insert it into the opening in the fixture, and

means for moving the push rod.

12. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the soldering apparatus comprises:

means for forming ring of solder about a terminal cap at the junction of the cap and a body, and

means for melting the solder.

No references cited.

RICHARD H. EANES, JR., Primary Examiner. 

